Scouting report: vs. San Antonio Spurs

1. Three times a charm? The Rockets took both games in San Antonio for just the second time in Tim Duncan’s 17 seasons and with a victory would win the season series for the first time in his career. They won with outstanding offensive performances, averaging 111.5 points on 48.3 percent shooting and 46.3 percent 3-point shooting. The Spurs are among the league’s best defensive teams, ranking fourth in points allowed per possession, but will be without starters Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.

2. Bench battle: Although both teams are short-handed with at least three rotation players out for each (Omer Asik is out, with Ronnie Brewer, Greg Smith and Francisco Garcia listed as day-to-day), the benches could be key. Led by Manu Ginobili, the Spurs have the top-scoring bench in the NBA per possession, the second-best (behind Oklahoma City) in net rating. Led by Jeremy Lin, the Rockets rank ninth in scoring off the bench.

3. Something has to give: The Spurs are the league’s best shooting team, making 49.1 percent of their shots. The Rockets are fifth-best in opposing field-goal defense, holding teams to 43.7 percent shooting. The Rockets often can waste good defense by giving up second shots, but the Spurs have never been a team that puts a great emphasis on crashing the offensive boards, relying more on spacing. They rank 22nd in second-chance points per game. That makes the Rockets’ ability to limit the Spurs’ shooting percentage or Spurs’ ability to shoot their usual high percentage important.